1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the elimination of undesirable vegetation directly beneath and adjacent to a chain-link or similar type fence, and at the same time serves as a decorative yard border.
2. Description of Prior Art
The task of grooming a yard that is bordered by or contains a chain-link fence has burdened the average home owner since the first fence was installed. Attempts at solving the problem all have the same basic idea. The idea is to remove the space that cultivates unwanted vegetation by covering the space with a vegetation barrier. Although several barriers have been invented, none have completely solved the problem in a way to satisfy the criteria of the average home owner. For example, A. W. Turner, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,351 5/1968, titled GRASS GUARD for FENCE, includes a barrier in rolls along with cover plates to seal the ends. This barrier, however, is primarily designed, to be installed before securing the fence fabric to the fence post. This would be impossible on an existing fence. Another example is the barrier in D. M. Abbe U.S. Pat. No. 3,515,373, 6/1970, titled FENCE TRIM GUARD. This barrier is composed of two axially aligned, telescopically interlocking barriers designed to cover the ground beneath the fence. These barriers are secured to the ground by outwardly extended, perforated lateral flange portions beneath the ground. Again, this invention presents difficulties in installation. Another barrier, the FENCE GUARD of Fred T. Niemann, U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,624, 1/1973, is a barrier that is L-shaped in cross-section and is placed against the fence bottom on either one side or both sides. However, this barrier lacks an adequate means of stability and suffers from some design flaws in its interlocking means. Basically, the interlocking fingers which are at the same elevation on back to back mounted barriers would make the two barriers on different planes when they interlock. This would raise one barrier off the ground and defeat its purpose. Also, the barriers lock to each other and not necessarily to the fence. In addition, there is no lock-in-place mechanism when only one barrier is installed on a singular side. Another barrier, FENCE TRIM AND VEGETATION BARRIER, John R. Eccleston U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,096, 4/1974, includes an elongated shell which telescopically receives a core member positioned beneath the fence and shell. The shell has longitudinal slots to receive adjacent post. This barrier is rather complicated and would be very difficult to install under an existing fence. Still another barrier is described in Dean Snider, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,989, titled FENCE GUARD, 9/1982. This barrier is positioned beneath the fence and between the post. This barrier also has a swival joint for fence corners at angles other than 90 degrees. However, such a swival joint must be attached to the post by access through a centrally located aperture. This is impossible on an existing fence with the fence fabric attached to the posts. Many of the vegetation barriers of prior art require installation before the fence fabric can be attached to the posts. Also, many of the vegetation barriers of prior art do not consider the fact that most fences are tangent, either partially or continually, to the ground beneath the fence fabric. This tangent condition thereby makes it impossible to install a barrier that must be placed under an existing fence.